CHARLES  CHURCHILL 
Vagabond  Poet 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT    LOS  ANGELES 


Charles  Churchill 


CHARLES  CHURCHILL 

Vagabond  Poet 


BY 

William  Harvey  Miner 


THE  TORCH  PRESS 

PRIVATELY    PRINTED 

MDCCCCVII 


Of  this  volume  two  hundred  copies  oftly 
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MiN, 
"PR 


S  Charles  Churchill 
cv.    Vagabond  Poet 


To 

Her  who  has  been  a 
constemt  inspiration 


"Churchill    no     more !     O,     cruel     Death ! 

'twas  hard 
So  soon  to  rob  us  of  our  favourite  bard ; 
We  should  not  thus  bewail  the  fatal  doom. 
Hadst    thou    but    plac'd    an    equal    in    his 

room." 


II. 


"He's   gone  1    great    Churchill's   gone !    'tis 
true, 

Yet  cease  the  fates  to  blame ; 
Years  they  allowed  him  but  a  few, 

But    gave    eternal    fame." 


III. 


"Prose-driving   dunces,    waddling   fools    in 
rhyme ; 
Scoundrels  of  every  kind,  by  vengeance 
led, 
Spit    forth    your    venom,    poison    all    your 
clime ; 
Churchill,    who    scourg'd    you    to    your 
holes,   is  dead." 

—William   Cole    (1714-1782). 


Charles  Churchill 

^^HERE  can  be  but  little  doubt  that 
it\  the  character  of  Charles  Churchill 
^^  was  moulded  to  a  great  extent  by 
the  age  in  which  he  lived.  In  the  study 
of  any  classic  work  of  art  or  literature 
which  may  have  proceeded  from  a  man 
or  from  a  period  peculiarly  fitted  for  its 
production,  it  is  essential  that  the  en- 
vironment be  given  due  consideration,  and 
if  an  unpleasant  view  of  the  subject  has 
to  be  discussed,  we  are  often  able  to  gain 
a  rightful  understanding,  because  of  the 
circumstances  which  may  have  surrounded 
the  persons  or  events  under  scrutiny. 

Such  a  statement  seems  to  be  especially 
true  with  reference  to  this  poet,  naturally 
endowed  with  power  and  talent,  which, 
if  they  could  have  been  used  under  more 
agreeable  circumstances,  would  have  plac- 
ed him  in  greater  favor  today.  He  be- 
came, not  entirely  through  fault  of  his 
own,  an  unfortunate  politician  and  profli- 


Charles  Churchill 


gate,  and  satirized  that  which  at  its  best 
was  none  too  good  in  an  unscrupulous 
age,  both  from  a  literary  and  human 
standpoint. 

In  glancing  back  upon  his  career  we 
can  but  be  reminded  of  two  later  poets, 
Burns  and  Byron,  and  there  comes  to  us 
a  mingled  feeling  of  sorrow,  admiration, 
wonder  and  blame  blended  into  a  some- 
what complex  yet  not  unnatural  emotion. 
Like  both  of  these  his  life  was  unhappy 
and  death  occurred  at  an  early  age.  His 
short  career,  while  in  a  way  triumphant, 
was  checkered  and  his  passions  in  no 
wise  curbed.  Power  he  possessed  though 
in  an  uncultivated  state,  and  his  poetry 
may  be  looked  upon  as  only  a  partial 
discovery  of  his  genius ;  not  unlike  the 
others,  his  end  was  sudden  and  melan- 
choly and  today  his  reputation  as  well 
as  future  position  in  the  history  of  Eng- 
lish literature  must  be  deemed  uncertain. 
Yet  again,  as  with  the  later  poets,  the 
very  faults  which  were  his,  have  been 
as  so  many  marking  places  and  kept  him 
to  a  certain  degree  sure  of  his  standing 
among  that  coterie  of  writers  who  helped 


Charles  Churchill  it 

to  form,  what  we  may  term  for  want  of 
better  expression,  the  "age  of  satirists." 

Exactly  one  hundred  years  after  the 
birth  of  Dryden,  Charles  Churchill  was 
born,  in  February,  1731.  As  to  a  more 
exact  date  little  seems  to  be  known.  Vine 
Street,  Westminster,  however,  is  the  lo- 
cation in  which  the  event  took  place  ;  his 
father,  after  whom  he  was  named,  being 
at  that  time  rector  in  Essex,  as  well  as 
curate  and  lecturer  of  St.  John  the  Evan- 
gelist, 'Westminster. 

While  in  no  way  a  remarkable  man, 
the  elder  Churchill  superintended  the  edu- 
cation of  his  son  until,  at  the  age  of  eight, 
he  was  entered  at  Westminster  School, 
where,  we  are  credibly  informed,  he  gave 
no  promise  of  that  talent  which  was  at  a 
later  date,  to  make  him  distinguished. 
Successful  in  gaining  admission  to  West- 
minster at  fifteen,  there  seems  to  have 
been  but  one  event  of  any  moment  which 
marked  his  early  career  at  this  place.  As 
a  punishment  for  some  misdeed  he  was 
compelled  to  recite  in  the  school  room 
a  poetical  declamation  in  Latin.  This,  to 
the  astonishment  of  his  masters  and  to 
the  infinite  delight  of  his  associates,  was 


12  Charles  Churchill 

accomplished  with  an  extraordinary 
amount  of  ability,  gaining  for  the  author 
a  complete  pardon  for  the  misdemeanor 
as  well  as  a  certain  standing  with  his 
fellows  among  whom  ought  to  be  men- 
tioned the  tremulous  and  bashful  Cowper, 
the  waggish  Coleman  and  that  brilliant 
light  of  a  later  daj%  Warren  Hastings. 

Churchill  never  entered  the  University. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  tried  for  a  fel- 
lowship at  Merton  College,  but  was  de- 
feated. Later  he  made  efforts  to  matricu- 
late at  Oxford  and  failing  here,  he  at 
length  entered  Trinity  College,  Cambridge, 
but  becoming  disgusted  with  all  Univer- 
sity life,  returned  once  more  to  London, 
vowing  vengeance,  and  later  keeping  the 
vow.  For  instance,  he  thus  ridiculed 
those  forms  of  admission  in  his  "Ghost" — 

"i;\Tiich   Balaam's   ass 
As  well  as  Balaam's  self  might  pass. 
And  with  his  master  take  degrees. 
Could  he  contrive  to  pay  the  fees." 

Soured  by  disappointment,  Churchill  at 
this  time  again  returned  to  his  father's 
house.  Whether  an  actual  want  of  learn- 
ing, an  early  indulgence  in  satire,  or  some 
faults   for   which   he   may   have   been  un- 


Charles  Churchill  i^ 

justly  accused  combined  in  keeping  the 
young  man  from  entering  upon  a  further 
academical  course,  we  are  not  fully  able 
to  judge.  Without  doubt  the  real  cause 
of  his  failure  to  gain  admission  either  at 
Oxford  or  Cambridge  was  the  fact  that 
he  had  at  an  earlier  date  contracted  an 
imprudent  marriage  with  a  young  woman 
of  Westminster,  named  iScott,  which  had 
been  accomplished  within  the  rules  of  the 
Fleet. 

(Needless  to  say  the  union  was  an  un- 
happy one.  It  not  only  disqualified  him 
as  a  student  but  introduced  into  his  early 
manhood  many  responsibilities  which  were 
beyond  his  power  to  discharge  or,  indeed, 
comprehend.  The  parents  on  both  sides 
were  opposed  to  the  marriage  though  the 
elder  Churchill  was  later  reconciled.  For 
a  year  the  youth  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  but  his  stay  terminated 
abruptly  for  reasons  which  are  not  known 
and  he  retired  for  some  time  to  Sunder- 
land, in  the  north  of  England,  where  he 
began  a  course  of  theological  readings 
with  a  view  to  the  Church,  together  with 
an  enthusiastic  study  of  poetry.  At  this 
place    he    remained    till    1753,    returning 


Charles  Churchill 


then  to  London  to  take  possession  of  a 
small  patrimony  which  accrued  to  him 
through   his   wife. 

•Here  we  find  him  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  having  been  three  years  married. 
At  this  period  the  throne  was  occupied  by 
George  II,  and  the  literature  of  the  age 
was  in  a  somewhat  chaotic  condition. 
From  1740  until  1760  the  influence  of 
Thomson  and  Gray  seemed  to  predomi- 
nate, and  for  the  moment  the  sombre  and 
solemn  romantic  school  seemed  utterly 
out  of  existence,  though  to  glance  ahead 
slightly,  we  might  add  that  the  popularity 
of  such  savage  couplets  which  were  being 
done  by  Pope,  and  later  by  Churchill, 
were  of  brief  duration. 

(Among  the  remarkable  scholars  who 
had  been  at  Westminster  during  the  per- 
iod of  which  we  write,  and  who  later 
became  famous,  were  Bonnell  Thornton 
and  Richard  Cumberland,  as  well  as  those 
previously  mentioned,  but  possibly  from 
the  literary  view-point,  that  one  mild, 
shrinking,  delicate  lad,  Cowper,  entered 
more  into  the  heart  of  Churchill  than  did 
the  rest.     In  their  earlier  days  they  were 


Charles  Churchill  75 

close  companions,  and  the  author  of  "The 
Task"    repaid  him   in   sore   need. 

Moreover  it  is  certain  that  Cowper  al- 
ways upheld  his  friendship  for  the  lesser 
poet,  though  the  latter  was  profane  in 
both  literature  and  life ;  indeed  he  seemed 
to  believe  Churchill  the  leader  of  his 
time,  though  Goldsmith  had  then  done 
"The  Deserted  Village"  and  "The  Vicar." 
The  two  were  of  exactly  the  same  age, 
and  it  is  possibly  because  of  their  dis- 
similarity of  character  that  they  were 
drawn  closer  one  to  the  other,  and  their 
friendship   continued   through   life. 

iWhile  not  penniless  at  this  period,  we 
cannot  find  it  stated  that  Churchill  was 
well  supplied  with  this  world's  goods.  It 
was  during  this  sojourn  in  the  metropolis 
that  he  began  to  frequent  the  theatres 
and  thereby  came  in  contact  with  those 
woi'ldly  surroundings  from  which  he  was 
to  obtain  his  earliest,  and  without  doubt, 
most  important  laurels.  We  come  upon 
results  of  his  several  months'  close  and 
careful  observation  of  the  actors  of  that 
age,  collected  as  it  were,  and  afterward 
sown  broadcast  as  his  genius  might  sug- 
gest in  his  later  writings  and  "The  Ros- 


i6  Charles  Churchill 


ciad,"  which  aside  from  the  "MacFleck- 
noe"  of  Dryden,  "The  Dunciad"  of  Pope 
and  "The  English  Bards"  of  Byron, 
stands  pre-eminent  as  the  greatest  of 
English  satires. 

Thus  may  we  think  of  the  big,  awk- 
ward, clumsy,  eighteenth  century  bohe- 
mian,  seated  in  the  pit  at  Drury  Lane,  or 
raised  to  the  one  shilling  gallery  of  Co- 
vent  Garden,  silently  shaping  himself  into 
what  Gilfillan  has  termed  "the  greatest 
poet  of  the  stage  that,  perhaps,  ever 
lived." 

It  has  been  said  that  John  Skelton 
(1450-1529)  might  be  regarded  as  a 
rough  prototype  of  our  somewhat  Inde- 
corous clergyman  with,  however,  a  rath- 
er more  picturesque  personification  de- 
nied the  latter  and  Dr.  Gosse  says  that 
at  a  later  period  George  Crabbe  followed 
Churchill's  versification,  but  be  this  as  it 
may  we  know  that  during  the  second  stay 
in  London,  the  author  of  "The  Rosciad" 
gradually  developed  for  himself  a  style 
which  was  to  be  used  to  wonderful  ad- 
vantage and  which  became  the  envy  as 
well  as  terror  of  many  of  his  contem- 
poraries. 


Charles  Churchill  17 


Not  yet  however  was  he  to  be  seduced 
entirely  by  the  stage.  Through  the  influ- 
ence of  friends  he  obtained  the  curacy 
of  Cadbury  in  Somersetshire,  and  although 
without  degrees,  was  ordained  Bishop  of 
the  Bath  and  Wells,  entering  upon  a  ca- 
reer of  ministerial  work  which,  in  the 
light  of  after  days,  seemed  somewhat  un- 
usual. 

'Had  circumstances  been  different  there 
is  little  doubt  but  that  his  life  would  have 
been  consecrated  to  the  church  and  that 
he  would  have  followed  a  calling  which, 
though  not  greatly  to  his  taste,  would  have 
been  on  the  whole  satisfactory.  Because 
of  his  untimely  marriage,  increasing  re- 
sponsibilities and  pecuniary  embarrass- 
ments he  early  turned  against  the  pro- 
fession which  he  had  adopted  and  to  as- 
sist in  the  support  of  himself  and  family, 
opened  a  school  which  at  first  met  with 
considerable  encouragement,  yet  there  is 
reason  to  suspect  that  not  a  few  of  his 
scholars  imbibed  some  of  the  spirit  of 
the  future  satiriet,  stirred  possibly  by  his 
rod,  with  which,  in  a  different  form,  he 
lashed  his  century  and  his  fellow-men. 
During  1758   the  death  of  his  father  oc- 


i8  Charles  Churchill 


curred  and  the  son  was  chosen  successor 
both  in  the  curacy  and  lectureship  and  it 
is  to  be  suspected  that  sermons  carefully- 
prepared  by  the  elder  clergyman  were 
used  to  no  small  advantage  by  the  new 
incumbent.  According  to  some  statements 
Churchill  in  later  life,  after  establishing 
his  own  reputation,  sold  ten  of  these  dis- 
courses for  £250.  Doubt  has  been  ex- 
pressed by  those  who  have  had  the  temer- 
ity to  look  through  these,  as  to  whether 
they  were  not  taken  bodily  from  some 
earlier  divine  ;  in  any  event  they  were  of 
little  value.  Like  William  Godwin,  who 
also  succeeded  his  father  in  pastoral 
charges  this  accumulation  of  already  used 
material  was  seized  upon  by  Churchill 
and  made  to  do  duty  a  second  time. 
Though  dry  and  valueless,  it  was  ortho- 
dox, and  as  such,  appreciated  by  his  par- 
ishioners ;  while  this  stock  lasted  his  po- 
sition was  secure.  As  in  the  case  of 
Godwin,  however,  his  true  personality  was 
not  relished  by  his  audiences,  and  whether 
because  of  the  lack  of  real  piety  or  zeal, 
it  was  evident  that  his  hearers  preferred 
something  which  was  beyond  his  power 
to  produce. 


Charles  Churchill  ig 

While  he  speaks  slightingly  of  himself 
and  his  ministerial  labors  in  one  of  his 
later  poems,  he  seems  to  have  at  least 
played  the  part  with  outward  decorum. 
His  greatest  objection  to  the  position  that 
he  held  was  the  salary  which  he  com- 
manded, scarcely  £100  per  annum,  and 
this  compelled  him  to  resume  the  occupa- 
tion of  private  tutor,  at  one  time  in  a 
school  for  young  ladies  in  Bloomsbury, 
and  at  intei'vals  assisting  v/homsoever  he 
might  in  a  study  of  the  classics. 

So  much  for  the  life  of  drudgery,  of 
hopeless  struggle  and  misplaced  ambition. 
From  his  advent  at  Westminster  School 
until  the  age  of  twenty-seven  this  man 
had  made  efforts  to  gain  for  himself,  if 
not  a  name,  at  least  a  competence,  and  his 
work  to  this  period  had  been  fruitless. 
While  not  naturally  given  to  indolence, 
it  can  hardly  be  said  that  he  had  made 
the  best  of  his  opportunities  and  though 
willing  to  strive  for  himself  he  seemed 
to  believe  that  the  world  was  his  debtor 
and  that  thus  far  he  had  not  procured  his 
share.  The  difficulties,  real  or  fancied 
which  had  constantly  loomed  before  him 
in    whatsoever    he    may    have    attempted, 


20  Charles  Churchill 


now  seemed  to  culminate  and  become  un- 
bearable. His  straightened  circumstances 
had  in  many  ways  caused  him  to  be  not 
only  morose  and  unhappy,  but  the  mere 
contemplation  of  passing  events  seemed 
to  spur  him  toward  actions  which  were 
in  no  way  fitting  the  life  which  he  was 
supposed  to  lead.  In  referring  to  this 
interval  in  one  of  his  after  poems,  he 
describes  himself  as  a  man  without  credit, 
his  pride  humbled,  his  virtue  undermined 
and  with  a  constant  feeling  that  he  was 
gradually  sinking  beneath  an  adverse 
storm  which  it  was  utterly  impossible  to 
quell.  Another  incentive  toward  an  un- 
clerical  life  may  be  based  upon  the  re- 
newal of  an  acquaintance,  which  shortly 
ripened  into  friendship,  with  one  Robert 
Lloj-d,  a  former  classmate  and  son  of  Dr. 
Lloyd,  one  of  the  masters  of  Westminster 
School.  Though  brilliant  and  accomplish- 
ed both  at  this  place  and  at  Cambridge, 
and  later  appointed  an  usher  in  his  fath- 
er's seminary,  this  young  man  had  de- 
liberately thrown  aside  what  he  termed 
drudgery,  and  with  a  thirst  both  for  fame 
and  pleasure  threw  himself  into  the  lit- 
erary  world    of    that    day.     Possessed    of 


Charles  Churchill 


no  real  skill  and  with  none  of  the  genius 
of  Churchill,  he  was  little  more  than  a 
clever  copyist  in  such  work  as  he  did,  and 
exerted  from  the  beginning  an  influence 
upon  his  friend  always  for  the  worst. 
What  small  success  he  attained  as  an 
author  he  borrowed  from  his  pseudo-cler- 
ical companion,  though  he  invariably 
seemed  to  return  infamy  for  good. 

Gradually  the  work  which  was  being 
carried  on  by  Churchill  in  connection  with 
the  church,  ceased.  The  two  friends  be- 
came inseparable  and  were  nightly  fre- 
quenters of  the  theatres,  taverns  and 
worse  haunts,  and  each  seemed  to  enter 
upon  a  wild  career  of  dissipation.  Unfor- 
tunately his  wife,  with  whom  he  seems 
never  to  have  been  happy,  made  no  ef- 
forts to  check  his  rapid  fall ;  indeed  from 
such  meagre  accounts  as  can  be  gathered, 
she  outran  her  husband  in  imprudence 
and  extravagance  and  in  this  manner 
their  affairs  continued  for  some  time  go- 
ing from  bad  to  worse.  On  several  oc- 
casions the  debtor's  prison  loomed  up  be- 
fore them  both  and  in  one  instance  relief 
was  to  be  found  only  in  the  elder  Lloyd 
who    persuaded    the    creditors    to    accept 


22  Charles  Churchill 

five  shillings  on  the  pound,  he  himself 
lending  the  required  sum.  It  is  said, 
however,  that  at  a  later  date  the  whole 
amount  of  the  original  debt  was  paid  by 
Churchill  when   in  affluent  circumstances. 

Together  with  the  newly  formed  love  of 
indulgence  there  had  also  arisen  the  old 
love  of  verse.  Coming  in  contact  as  he 
did  with  the  wits  of  the  day  and  being 
urged  by  Thornton,  Coleman  and  others 
to  attempt  something  of  his  own,  he 
composed  a  poem  in  Hudibrastic  verse 
entitled  "The  Bard,"  which  was  offered 
to  Waller,  a  bookseller  in  the  Strand,  who 
rejected  it  without  hesitancy.  In  no  wise 
discouraged,  he  immediately  began  "The 
Conclave,"  a  stinging  satire  against  Dean 
Pearce  of  Westminster,  a  bitter  enemj% 
and  but  for  the  intervention  of  friends 
who  feared  legal  proceedings,  this  would 
have  been  issued.  With  his  third  effort 
and  unquestionably  finest  work,  he  met 
with  a  success,  far  exceeding  his  own  ex- 
pectations. 

This  was  "The  Rosciad,"  written,  it  is 
said,  after  two  months  close  attendance 
upon  the  play-houses.  It  was  a  time  of 
considerable    activity    in    theatrical    life. 


Charles  Churchill  2j 

Drury  Lane  was  at  its  best  with  Foote, 
Garrick,  Mrs.  Pritchard,  Mrs.  Clive, 
Palmer,  Woodward  and  Yates.  Even 
Covent  Garden  could  boast  of  Mrs.  Vin- 
cent, Macklin,  Mrs.  Gibber,  Barry  and 
Smith,  and  at  times  Quinn ;  with  these 
and  many  others,  the  caustic  wit  of 
Churchill  played  relentlessly,  though  it  is 
Garrick  who  must  be  looked  upon  as  the 
principal  victim. 

We  do  not  know  to  whom  this  was  first 
offered  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  it 
was  refused  by  more  than  one  of  the 
booksellers.  His  price  for  the  manu- 
script, Southey  informs  us,  was  five 
pounds,  yet  this  sum  seemed  to  strike 
terror  to  the  hearts  of  all  who  were  ap- 
proached, until  at  length,  unwilling  to  be 
baffled,  the  work  was  published  at  the 
expense  of  the  author  and  printed  and 
sold  by  W.  Flexney,  near  Grays-Inn  Gate, 
Holborn,  in  March,  1761.  It  appeared 
without  the  author's  name  and  was  her- 
alded by  two  obscure  advertisements.  A 
few  days  only  served  to  show  that  it  had 
at  least  made  itself  felt,  and  literary 
London  of  that  date  was  treated  to  a  sen- 


24  Charles  Churchill 

sation  such  as  it  always  appreciates  and 
revels  in  even  at  the  present  day. 

But  little  time  was  necessary  to  con- 
vince the  public  that  a  new  and  power- 
ful satirist  had  arisen  and  the  effect  of 
his  work  was  extraordinary.  The  identity 
of  the  author  was  sought  for  in  vain. 
The  critics  admired,  though  the  victims 
raved,  and  the  first  issue  w^as  soon  ex- 
hausted. With  the  exception  of  the  Crit- 
ical Review,  directed  by  Smollett,  every- 
one lauded  the  work.  This  periodical 
alone  opposed  general  opinion  and  accused 
Lloyd  and  Coleman  of  having  done  "The 
Rosciad"  for  the  purpose  of  self  advance- 
ment, which  fact  in  itself  compelled 
Churchill  to  reveal  his  connection.  This 
he  did  and  at  the  same  time  prepared  an- 
other and  somewhat  similar  treatise.  "Tlie 
Apology,"  addressed  to  "The  Critical  Re- 
viewers," which  appeared  during  the  fol- 
lowing month.  In  its  turn  this  acted  as 
a  new  Incentive  to  an  already  frenzied 
public,  and  Smollett  was  forced  to  write 
to  the  now  famous  author  through  Gar- 
rick,  telling  him  that  the  savage  critique 
was  by  another  hand.  Even  Garrick  him- 
self, the  hero  of  the  first  poem,  was  warn- 


Charles  Churchill  2^ 

ed  by  Churchill  that  "men  are  mortal 
and  that  Kings  may  be  dethroned"  and 
had  to  make  humiliating  concessions  to 
the  heartless  satirist.  'Strong  and  with- 
out fear  he  had  to  be,  for  many  of  his 
erstwhile  victims  had  vowed  vengeance 
and  bodily  harm.  Invariably  armed  with 
a  huge  bludgeon,  however,  he  continually 
went  abroad  and  returned  to  his  lodging 
unharmed. 

In  other  ways  his  enemies  were  aveng- 
ed. iHe  had  gained  more  than  one  thou- 
sand pounds  by  his  two  poems,  which 
amount  allowed  him  unlimited  indulgence. 
'He  cast  aside  all  restraint  and  wore 
instead  of  his  clerical  vestments  a  blue 
coat  and  gold-laced  waistcoat.  At  this 
point  "Anti-Rosciads,"  "Triumvirats,"  "iEx- 
aminers,"  and  "'Churchilliads"  were  issued 
from  all  sides,  yet  they  disturbed  him  but 
slightly.  He  separated  from  his  wife,  but 
arranged  for  her  an  ample  allowance ; 
his  midnight  potations  became  deeper, 
and  more  habitual  —  and  the  Bishop  of 
(Rochester  in  vain  remonstrated.  At  length 
however,  his  parishioners  took  up  the 
matter  and  with  such  vehemence  that  he 
was  forced  to   resign  his  curacy  and  be- 


26  Charles  Churchill 

come  for  the  rest  of  his  life  a  dissipated, 
man-about-town.   a  vagabond  roet. 

Though  Lloyd  was  still  a  close  friend, 
be  Jiow  formed  an  alliance  with  that  aban- 
doned debauche  and  notorious  profligate, 
John  Wilkes,  a  proper  mate  for  such  an 
apostate.  Churchill  helped  him  at  vari- 
ous times  on  the  Noi'tli  Briton  according 
to  correspondence  now  in  the  British 
Museum,  and  there  is  little  doubt  but 
that  this  intimacy  was  the  most  unfor- 
tunate of  any  that  were  formed  by  the 
poet.  He  at  one  time  narrowly  escaped 
imprisonment  because  of  this  connection, 
and  then  only  through  rare  presence  of 
mind.  His  popularity  as  a  poet,  or  more 
properly  as  a  satirist,  was  now  at  its 
height.  LfOwell,  in  his  'TEssay  on  Car- 
lyle,"  IS 6 6,  speaks  of  the  methods  by 
which  an  author  may  make  himself  great 
and  even  justly  so,  by  appealing  to  the 
persons  of  the  moment,  without  having 
anything  in  him  that  shall  outlast  the 
public  whim  which  he  satisfies.  Churchill 
is  a  remarkable  example  of  this.  He  had 
a  surprising  extemporary  strength  of 
mind,  or  as  Cowper  said,  "he  undoubtedly 
surprised  all  contemporaries  in  a  certain 


Charles  Churchill  2y 

rude  and  earthborn  vigor,"  but  no  English 
poet  seems  to  have  enjoyed  such  an  ex- 
cessive and  short  lived  popularity.  To 
Wilkes  he  said  that  nothing  came  until 
he  began  to  be  pleased  with  liimself; 
but  to  the  public  he  boasted  of  the  haste 
and  carelessness  with  which  his  versea 
were  poured  forth  under  any  condition. 

"When  the  mad  fit  comes  on  I  seize  the 

pen 
Rough    as    they    run,    the    rapid    thoughts 

set  down, 
Rough    as    they    run,    discharge    them    on 

the  to-wTi." 

Much  could  be  written  of  his  wild 
thoughtleses  life  at  this  time,  of  his  sa- 
tires directed  upon  Hogarth  which  caused 
a  disturbance  in  the  life  of  the  caricatur- 
ist ;  and  of  the  dissolute  existence  which 
he  led  with  his  mistress,  Miss  Carr,  the 
daughter  of  a  respectable  sculptor  in 
Westminster.  One  anecdote  may  be  suffi- 
cient and  this  in  itself  throws  some  light 
on  his  unfortunate  career. 

Charles  Johnson,  a  contemporary  author 
and  dramatist  of  some  note,  who  by  the 
bye,  had  been  satirized  in  the  "Dunciad" 
of  Pope,  wrote  at  about  this  period,  a  tale 


28  Charts  Churchill 


fanciful  in  itself,  and  even  today  sought 
by  lovers  of  the  unusual.  This  was 
•*Chrysal,  or  the  Adventures  of  a  Guinea" 
and  in  it  he  uses  Churchill  as  the  most 
prominent  character,  which  at  the  best 
can  but  be  considered  a  doubtful  compli- 
ment. We  quote  here  at  some  length  from 
the  book  in  question  and  also  from  Mr. 
Forster's  essay  on  the  poet,  which  will 
serve  as  an  introduction. 

"Whilst  he  was  one  night  'staggering* 
home,  as  the  narrative  tells  us,  after  a 
supper  in  which  spirited  wit  and  liveliness 
of  conversation,  as  well  as  rectitude  and 
sublimity  of  sentiment,  had  gilded  gross 
debauchery,  a  girl  of  the  street  addressed 
him.  Her  figure  was  elegant ;  and  her 
features  regular ;  but  want  had  sicklied 
over  their  beauty ;  and  all  the  horrors  of 
despair  gloomed  through  the  languid 
smile  she  forced,  when  she  addressed  him. 

"The  sigh  of  distress  which  never  struck 
his  ear  without  affecting  his  heart,  came 
with  double  force  from  such  an  object. 
He  viewed  her  with  silent  compassion  for 
some  moments  ;  and  reaching  her  a  piece 
of  gold,  bade  her  go  home,  and  shelter 
herself  from  the  inclemencies  of  the  night, 
at  so  late  an  hour.  Her  surprise  and 
joy  at  such  unexpected  charity  overpow- 
ered her.  She  dropped  upon  her  knees,  in 
the  wet  and  dirt  of  the  street  and  raising 
her    hands   and    eyes    toward    heaven,    re- 


Charles  Churchill  2g 


mained  in  that  posture  for  some  moments, 
unable  to  give  utterance  to  the  gratitude 
that  filled  her  heart. 

"Such  a  sight  was  more  expressive  than 
all  the  powers  of  eloquence.  He  raised 
her  tenderly  from  the  ground,  and  sooth- 
ing her  with  words  of  comfort,  offered 
to  conduct  her  to  some  place,  where  she 
might  get  that  refreshment  of  which  she 
appeared  to  he  in  too  great  want. 

"  'Oh,  sir,'  said  she,  pressing  the  hand 
that  had  raised  her  with  her  cold  trem- 
bling lips,  'my  deliverer  sent  you  from 
heaven  to  save  me  from  despair,  let  me 
not  think  of  taking  refreshment  myself, 
till  I  have  first  procured  it  for  those, 
whose  greater  wants  I  feel  ten  thousand 
times  more  severely  than  my  own.'  'Who 
can  they  be?'  interrupted  he,  with  anxious 
impatience.  'Can  humanity  feel  greater 
wants  than  those  under  which  you  are 
sinking?'  'My  father,'  exclaimed  she, 
bursting  into  tears,  'languishing  under  in- 
firmities, acquired  in  the  service  of  his 
country  ;  my  mother  worn  out  with  attend- 
ing on  him,  and  both  perishing  of  want, 
(heaven  grant  they  are  not  already  dead  !) 
together  with  two  infant  brothers,  insen- 
sible of  the  cause  of  their  distress,  and 
crying  to  them  for  a  morsel  of  bread, 
which  it  is  not  in  their  power  to  give !' 
'Where  can  such  a  scene  of  wretchedness 
be  hidden  from  relief?  I  will  go  with  you 
directly  :  but  stop  ;  let  us  first  secure  some 
comfortable  nourishment  from  some  of. 
the   houses  which   are  kept   open   at   this 


JO  Charles  Churchill 


late    hour    for    a   very    different    purpose. 
Come  with  me,  we  have  no  time  to  lose.' 

"Witli  these  words,  he  went  directly  lo 
a  tavern,  and  inquiring  what  victuals  were 
dressed  in  the  house,  loaded  her  with  as 
much  as  she  could  carry  of  the  best,  and 
putting  a  couple  of  bottles  of  wine  in  his 
own  pocket,  walked  with  her  to  her  habi- 
tation, which  was  in  a  blind  alley,  happily 
for  her  not  very  far  distant,  as  weakness 
together  with  the  conflict  of  passions 
struggling  in  her  heart,  made  her  scarce 
able   to   go. 

"\\Tien  they  came  to  the  door,  she  would 
have  gone  up  first  for  a  light,  but  he  was 
resolved  to  accompany  her,  that  he  might 
see  the  whole  scene  in  its  genuine  colors. 
'He,  therefore,  followed  her  up  to  the  top- 
of  the  house,  where  opening  the  door  of 
the  garret,  she  discovered  to  hhn  such  a 
scene  of  misery,  as  struck  him  with  astoh- 
ishment.  By  the  light  of  a  lamp,  that 
glimmered  in  the  tireless  chimney,  he  saw 
lying  on  a  bare  bedstead,  without  any 
covering  than  the  relics  of  their  own  rags, 
a  man,  a  woman,  and  two  children  shud- 
dering with  cold,  though  huddled  together, 
to  share  the  little  warmth  which  exhaust- 
ed nature  still  supplied  them  with. 

"While  he  stood  gazing  in  horror  at 
such  complicated  wretchedness,  his  con- 
ductress ran  to  the  bedside,  and  falling 
on  her  knees,  'O  !  Sir  I  Madam !'  exclaimed 
she,  in  rapture,  'Arise !  I  have  got  relief 
from  an  angel  of  Heaven.'  'Take  care!'  ' 
answered    a   voice,    the   hollow    trembling 


Charles  Churchill  ji 


of  which  was:  sharpened  by  indignation, 
'take  care  it  is  not  from  a  fiend  of  hell, 
who  has  taken  advantage  of  your  distress 
to  tempt  you  to  ruin  !  for  with  whom  else 
could  you  be  till  this  time  of  night?  But 
know,  wretched  girl,  that  T  will  never  eat 
the  earnings  of  vice  and  infamy.  A  few 
hours  will  put  an  end  to  my  miseries, 
which  have  received  the  only  possible  ad- 
dition by  this  your  folly.'  'He  must  be 
such,  indeed,'  interrupted  my  master,  still 
more  struck  with  sentiments  so  uncom- 
mon in  such  a  situation,  'who  could  think 
of  tempting  her  in  such  circumstance  to 
any  folly.  I  will  withdraw,  while  you 
arise,  and  then  we  will  consult  what  can 
be  soonest  done  to  alleviate  a  distress,  of 
which  you  appear  so  undeserving.'  While 
he  said  this,  he  took  the  wine  out  of  his 
pocket,-  and  giving  it  to  the  daughter,  went 
directly  down  stairs,  without  waiting  for 
a  reply,  and  walking  backward  and  for- 
ward in  the  street  for  some  time,  enjoying 
the  sublimest  pleasure  the  human  heart 
Is  capable  of,  in  considering  how  he  had 
relieved,  and  should  further  relieve,  the 
sufferings  of  objects  so  worthy  of  relief. 
"iBy  the  time  he  thought  they  might 
have  learned  from  their  daughter  the  cir- 
cumstances of  her  meeting  with  him,  and 
taking  some  nourishment,  he  returned  to 
them,  when  the  moment  he  entered  the 
"room  the  whole  family  fell  on  their  knees 
to  thank  him.  Such  humiliation  was  more 
than  he  could  bear.  He  raised  them  one 
by  one,   as  fast  as  he   could,   and  taking 


32  Charles  Churchill 


the  father's  hand,  'Gracious  God!'  said 
he.  'can  a  sense  of  humanity  be  such  an 
uncommon  thing  among  creatures  who  call 
themselves  human,  that  so  poor  an  exer- 
tion of  it  should  be  thought  deserving 
of  a  return  proper  to  be  made  only  to 
heaven !  Oppress  me  not,  sir,  I  conjure 
you,  with  the  mention  of  what  it  would 
have  been  a  crime  I  could  never  forgive 
mj'self  to  have  known  I  had  not  done.  It 
is  too  late  to  think  of  leaving  this  place 
before  tomorrow,  when  I  will  provide  a 
better,  if  there  is  not  any  to  which  you 
choose  particularly  to  go.  I  am  not  rich ; 
but  I  thank  heaven  that  it  has  blest  me 
with  ability  and  inclination  to  afford  such 
assistance  as  may  be  immediately  neces- 
sary' to  you,  till  means  may  be  thought 
of  for  doing  more.'  'O,  sir,'  answered  the 
mother,  'well  might  my  daughter  call  you 
an  angel  of  heaven  !  You  know  not  from 
what  misery  you  have  already  relieved.' 
'Nor  will  I  know  more  of  it  at  this  time,' 
interrupted  my  master,  'than  that  which 
I  too  plainly  see.  I  will  leave  you  now 
to  your  rest,  and  return  as  soon  as  it  is 
day.' 

"  'Speak  not  of  leaving  us,  sir,'  exclaim- 
ed the  daughter,  who  was  afraid  that  if 
he  should  go  away,  he  might  not  return. 
'What  rest  can  we  take,  in  so  short  a 
time?  Leave  us  not,  I  beseech  you:  leave 
us  not  in  this  place!'  'Cease,  my  child!' 
interposed  the  father,  'nor  press  your  ben- 
efactor to  continue  in  a  scene  of  misery, 
that  must  give  pain  to  his  humane  heart.' 


Charles  Churchill  jj 


'If  my  staying  will  not  give  you  pain,' 
answered  my  master,  'I  will  most  willingly 
stay ;  but  it  must  be  on  condition  that 
our  conversation  points  entirely  forward 
to  happier  days.  There  will  be  time 
enough    hereafter    to    look    back.' 

"Saying  this,  he  sat  down  on  the  bed- 
side, (for  other  seat  the  apartment  af- 
forded not)  between  the  husband  and 
wife,  with  whom  he  spent  the  little  re- 
mainder of  the  night  in  such  discourse 
as  he  thought  most  likely  to  divert  their 
attention  from  their  present  misery,  and 
inspire  their  minds  with  better  hopes, 
while  the  children,  all  but  the  daughter, 
who  hung  upon  his  words,  comforted  at 
heart  with  a  better  meal  than  they  had 
long  tasted,  fell  fast  asleep,  as  they  leaned 
their  heads  upon  their  mother's  lap.  As 
soon  as  it  was  day,  'Now,  madam,'  said 
my  master,  addressing  himself  to  the 
mother,  'I  will  go  and  provide  a  place  for 
your  reception,  as  you  say  all  places  are 
alike  to  you.  In  the  meantime,  accept  of 
this  trifle,'  giving  her  ten  guineas,  'to 
provide  such  necessaries  as  you  may  in- 
dispensibly  want  before  you  remove. 
When  you  are  settled,  we  will  see  what 
further  can  be  done.  I  shall  be  back  with 
you  within  these  three  hours  at  most.' 

"For  such  beneficence  there  was  no  pos- 
sibility of  returning  thanks ;  but  their 
hearts  spoke  through  their  eyes,  in  a 
language  sufficiently  intelligible  to  his. 
Departing  directly,  to  save  both  himself 
and  them  the  pain  of  pursuing  a  conver- 


^4  Charles  Churchill 


sation  that  grew  too  distressful,  he  went, 
■without  regard  to  change  of  dress,  or 
appearance,  to  look  for  a  proper  lodging 
for  them ;  where  he  laid  in  such  provisions 
of  every  kind,  as  he  knew  they  must  im- 
mediately want.  This  care  employed  him 
till  the  time  he  had  promised  to  return, 
when  he  found  such  an  alteration  in  the 
looks  and  appearance  of  them  all  as  gave 
his  heart  delight. 

"  'You  see,  sir,'  said  the  mother,  as  soon 
as  he  entered,  'the  effects  of  your  bounty,' 
but  do  not  think  that  vanity  has  made  us 
abuse  it.  These  clothes,  what  we  could 
raise  on  which  has,  for  some  time,  been 
our  sole  support,  were  the  purchase  of 
happier  times ;  and  were  now  redeemed 
for  much  less  than  we  must  have  given 
for  the  worst  we  could  buy.'  'Dear 
madam,'  interrupted  my  master,  taking 
her  hand  respectfully,  'mention  not  any- 
thing of  the  kind  to  me,  I  beseech  you. 
You  will  soon  see  such  times  again.'  Then 
turning  to  her  husband,  'I  have  taken  a 
lodging,  sir,'  continued  he ;  'it  is  conven- 
ient, but  not  large,  as  I  imagined  would 
be  your  choice.  I  will  call  a  coach,  to 
take  us  to  it  directly.  If  there  are  any 
demands  here,  let  the  people  of  the  house 
be  called  up,  and  they  shall  be  paid.  I 
will  be  your  purse-bearer  for  the  present.' 
'No,  sir,*  replied  the  husband,  'there  are 
not  any.  You  have  enabled  us  to  dis- 
charge all  demands  upon  us.  People  in 
our  circumstances  cannot  find  credit,  be- 
cause they  want  it.' 


Charles  Churchill  35 


"My  master  would  have  then  gone  for  a 
coach,  but  the  daughter  insisted  on  saving 
him  the  trouble ;  upon  which  he  put  the 
whole  family  into  it,  and  walked  away 
before  them  to  their  new  lodging.  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  what  these  poor 
people  felt,  when  they  saw  the  provision 
he  had  made  for  their  reception.  The 
father,  in  particular,  could  not  bear  it, 
but  sinking  into  a  chair,  This  is  too 
much  !  This  is  too  much  !'  said  he,  as  soon 
as  a  flood  of  tears  had  given  vent  to  the 
fullness  of  his  heart.  'Support  me,  grac- 
ious Heaven,  who  has  sent  this  best  of 
men  to  my  relief ;  support  me  under  the 
weight  of  obligations,  which  the  preserva- 
tion of  these  alone,'  looking  round  upon 
his  wife  and  children,  'could  induce  me 
to  accept.'  Then  addressing  himself  to 
my  master,  'My  heart  is  not  unthankful,' 
continued  he,  'but  gratitude  in  such  excess 
as  mine,  where  there  is  no  prospect  of 
ever  making  a  return,  is  the  severest 
pain.'  " 

As  we  have  stated  elsewhere,  it  is  our 
firm  belief  that  the  age  in  which  Churchill 
lived  did  much  toward  moulding  the  char- 
acter of  the  man.  As  at  a  somewhat 
later  date  London  begot  Richard  Savage 
whose  mode  of  life  reminds  one  of  his 
predecessor,  so  might  others  be  named 
who  were  more  or  less  influenced  by  the 
period  during  which  they  existed.     Great 


36  Charles  Churchill 

names  there  were,  but  also  many  which 
were  vile.  Outcasts  such  as  Wilkes ; 
pamphleteers  like  Tutchin,  and  even  paid 
plagiarists  abounded  and  the  pages  of 
Hogarth  are  but  to  be  consulted  for  justi- 
fication of  any  statement  of  this  kind. 
All  this,  and  more,  was  in  evidence,  and 
even  while  he  may  have  donned  the  cas- 
sock, it  is  to  be  feared  that  Churchill  did 
but  little  to  add  to  the  goodness  of  life. 
TVTiile  he  lived  "he  lived  right  merrily" 
and  for  his  errors  we  make  no  plea  of 
palliation,  unless  it  be  that  restraining 
himself  as  a  youth  because  of  the  lack 
of  funds,  he  in  after  life  gave  full  vent 
to  the  passions  which  made  themselves 
evident  at  a  time  of  greater  affluence.  At 
the  worst  he  never  seems  to  have  been 
seduced  into  sin  through  vivid  imagin- 
ation. Naked  sensuality  he  appeared  to 
worship  and  his  evils  were  perpetrated 
with  the  fullness  of  self  knowledge.  Moral 
sense  he  had,  though  surely  blunted  and 
many  generous  and  good  traits  seem  to 
have  mingled  with  his  excesses.  Deliber- 
ately choosing  Satire,  usually  personal,  as 
his  special  forte,  he  won  recognition  where 
others   failed,    though   in    this   we   do   not 


Charles  Churcnill  ^7 

contend  that  all  satirists  must  needs  be 
either  very  good  or  very  bad  men.  Cow- 
per  and  Crabbe  are  above  criticism  as  to 
their  modes  of  life ;  Swift,  Dryden,  and 
Byron  might  well  be  classed  with 
Churchill.  With  a  hatred  of  pretense,  a 
robust  and  manly  honesty,  this  poet  lived 
and  died.  Morality  and  a  true  love  of 
humanity  he  seems  to  have  lacked  as  well 
as  being  destitute  of  a  fear  of  God.  The 
learned  Dr.  Johnson  pronounced  him  "a 
prolific  blockhead  —  a  huge  and  fertile 
crabtree"  and  Christopher  North  in  Black- 
xoood's  for  1828  gives  vent  at  greater 
length  to  further  calumny  in  this  same 
strain.  As  the  dead  cannot  retort,  their 
statements  must  remain  unchallenged 
though  a  formidable  opponent  would  have 
greeted  both  had  such  remarks  been  pro- 
pounded while  he  was  yet  in  the  flesh. 

Churchill  died  on  the  4th  of  November, 
1764.  Warburton  says  that  he  perished 
of  a  drunken  debauch,  a  statement  wholly 
unfounded.  'Best  authorities  tell  us  that 
he  was  taken  with  fever  while  on  a  visit 
to  his  exiled  friend  Wilkes,  then  at  Bou- 
logne, and  in  a  rash  attempt  to  return  to 


rvioi^iio  / 


S8  Charles  Churchill 

(England,    added     to     the     disease     which 
brought    the    end. 

"What  a  fool  I  have  been"  were  his  last 
words,  according  to  Davies,  though  this 
is  contradicted  by  Wilkes.  Garriclc  who 
was  in  Paris  at  the  time,  gave  the  news  to 
•Coleman,  then  mutual  friends.  Lloyd,  at 
that  moment  ill,  upon  hearing  of  the 
death  of  his  truest  friend,  never  recovered 
from  the  shock  and  taking  to  his  bed  arose 
no  more.  Wilkes,  while  professing  an 
unbearable  grief,  did  not  fulfil  certain 
obligations,  though  he  later  caused  to  be 
erected  a  column  to  the  poet's  memory, 
and  there  is  at  the  present  time  a  tablet, 
inscribed  in  the  church  of  St.  Martin  at 
Dover  where  the  remains  now  lie.  Thus 
while  yet  in  early  manhood  he  passed 
beyond  the  pale.  Whether  or  not  his  life 
was  justified,  is  for  a  higher  court  to 
decide. 


Thus  far  we  have  sketched  in  outline 
the  salient  features  of  a  career  not  wholly 
righteous.  Anecdotes,  apocryphal  in  them- 
selves, might  be  added,  as  for  example 
the  account  of  his  journey  to  Wales,  and 
his    setting    up    as    a    cider    merchant,    et 


Charles  Churchill  JQ 

cetera.  For  articles  dealing  with  those 
events  and  others  of  a  like  nature  we 
would  refer  the  reader  to  the  Edinburgh 
Reviexo  of  January,  1845,  and  to  Black- 
wood's before  mentioned.  John  Forster 
has  g-iven  an  appreciative  account  of 
Churchill  and  his  work  in  his  essay  under 
that  title,  and  there  are  several  sketches 
included  in  the  various  editions  of  his 
poems,  all  of  which  are  of  interest,  as  are 
the  numerous  and  in  some  instances 
lengthy  recitals,  in  the  several  histories 
of  England's  literature  hy  different  hands, 
but  it  is  evident  that  the  subject  has  not 
been  deemed  worthy  of  serious  attention, 
hence  it  is  difficult  to  expand  at  great 
length. 

A  word  as  to  the  poetry  and  we  are 
finished. 

We  have  seen  that  he  possessed  a  keen 
perception  of  character,  especially  its 
weaknesses,  and  beyond  doubt  a  lively 
imagination  and  strong  understanding  of 
human  nature.  Wit  and  humor  were  also 
his  to  a  certain  extent  together  with  an 
unlimited  command  of  loose,  careless 
though  energetic  diction,  to  which  might 
be   added  self  assertion   and   absolute  in- 


40  Charles  Churchill 

dependence.  One  thinks  more  of  the  pugil- 
ist than  the  poet,  when  he  looks  upon  the 
literary  arena  of  that  day  and  realizes 
what  strong  blows  were  being  dealt  by 
this  savage  satirist.  As  compared  with 
Pope  his  invective  is  less  polished  and 
without  the  point  and  sting  of  the  delicate 
cripple,  yet  it  reaches  home  and  in  many 
instances  is  as  deadly.  Churchill  pours 
forth  a  torrent  of  blasting  ridicule.  Pope 
whispers  a  word  in  the  ear  of  his  enemy 
which  withers  the  heart ;  Pope  stabbed  — 
the  other  used  the  broadsword  —  and  both 
aimed  to  kill.  Dryden  was  admittedly  the 
favorite  model  of  the  lesser  poet,  and  his 
versification  is  decidedly  of  the  Drydenic 
type. 

As  Lowell  has  said,  however,  Churchill's 
poetry  clung  more  especially  to  subjects 
of  contemporary  interest.  The  awful  in- 
trigues of  Newcastle  and  Bute,  the 
wretched  squabbles  of  councillors  and  al- 
dermen of  that  day,  the  petty  quarrels  of 
forgotten  players,  formed  themes  which, 
while  feverish  then,  are  forgotten  now, 
hence  the  somewhat  transient  character 
of  his  verse. 


Charles  Churchill 


Of  "The  Rosciad,"  his  most  finished 
production,  we  have  no  room  for  lengthy- 
criticism  or  review.  Many  of  its  lines 
are  memorable,  many  are  not.  "The 
Prophecy  of  Famine"  on  the  other  hand 
contains : 

"No  birds  except  as  birds  of  passage  flew" 

and  the  famous  line : 

"Where  half  starved  spiders  prey  on  half 
starved  flies," 

but  on  the  whole,  this  is  inferior  to  other 
and  less  pretentious  pieces  of  a  later 
date.  In  "The  Ghost"  there  is  a  picture 
of  Dr.  Johnson,  well  and  carefully  drawn, 
and  we  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  ad- 
mirable lexicographer  resented  this  with 
his  most  mighty  heart  and  soul.  Again 
in  the  "Dedication  to  Bishop  Warburton" 
we  feel  a  strain  of  terrible  irony  and 
sarcasm,  the  like  of  which  could  only  be 
incited  by  that  bitter  enmity,  which  truly 
existed.  His  last  production  of  note,  "The 
Journey,"  is  interesting  not  only  in  this 
sense  but  also  hecause  it  contains  some 
affecting    personal    allusions,     and    some 


4-2  Charles  Churchill 

stinging  scorn  —  moralizing  we  might 
term  it  at  tliis  day,  showing  that  in  spite 
of  what  had  been  done,  good  could  be 
found  in  his  breast,   if  but  searched  for. 

Two  other  poems  "The  Author"  and 
"Gotham"  are  usually  included  in  the 
anthologies,  and  the  former  had  the  rare 
good  fortune  to  please  the  critics.  Less 
successful  was  the  other,  though  there 
are  some  good  lines,  and  indeed  we  might 
add  to  the  list  until  the  full  catalog  of 
titles  (and  there  are  not  a  great  number) 
would  appear.  In  this  connection,  how- 
ever, we  can  but  refer  those  who  wish  to 
make  a  close  study  of  the  man  and  his 
work,  to  some  collected  edition,  and  only 
ask  that  they  look  upon  the  poet  and  his 
defects  with  a  kindly  eye  and  "give  praise 
where  praise  is  due." 

"Churchill  the  poet  is  dead,"  wrote  Wal- 
pole  to  Mann  on  the  15th  of  November. 
"The  meteor  blazed  scarce  four  years. 
He  is  dead,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  Minis- 
try and  the  Scotch,  and  to  the  grief  of 
very  few  indeed,  I  believe ;  for  such  a 
friend  is  not  only  dangerous  but  a  ticklish 
possession." 


PUBLICATIONS  OF 
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Savage^  the  'Roke—Chattertott,  the  Precocious 
Youth.  By  William  Harvey  Miner.  (Out 
of  print). 

Suckling,  Sir  John.  Selected  Poems,  with  an 
introduction  by  Luther  A.  Brewer. 

Wilde,  Oscar.  A  Sketch  of  the  Man  and  Notices 
of  some  of  his  Books.    By  Willis  Vickery. 

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-3JU6 — Charles — 
C?H6     Churchill 


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